Ireland’s Food Waste Strategy

The financial and environmental costs associated with food waste have re-emerged as a key issue in Ireland following the latest survey commissioned by Too Good To Go ahead of National Stop Food Waste Day. This renewed focus has sparked widespread discussion on the economic and sustainability implications of food waste, drawing attention to its impact on households, businesses, and the environment.

This campaign is being led by Ireland’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and takes place from March 1st until March 7th, 2025. The significance of this initiative is underscored by new estimates indicating that, on average, food waste is costing Irish households anywhere between €501 and €1,000 annually. These figures highlight the substantial financial burden that food waste places on families, particularly in the current economic climate, where cost-of-living concerns remain at the forefront of public discourse.

This financial strain persists despite the fact that, as the Too Good To Go survey reveals, 73% of Irish adults acknowledge that food waste is a drain on incomes that can be mitigated through appropriate actions. The high awareness levels suggest that the challenge lies not in recognition but in translating knowledge into behavioral change.

Furthermore, despite nearly two decades of concerted policy efforts to tackle food waste, the issue remains a pressing concern. Since 2006, Ireland has actively developed and promoted a number of substantial policy strategies aimed at minimising food waste at both household and national levels.

The country’s first National Strategy on Biodegradable Waste, launched in 2006, outlined an integrated waste management approach focusing on prevention, recycling, and biological treatment. This strategy sought to achieve these objectives through a policy of diverting food waste away from landfills, with a target to reduce food waste levels to 35% of 1995 levels by 2016. This initiative was part of Ireland’s broader efforts to align with targets mandated by the EU Landfill Directive, reflecting an early commitment to sustainable waste management practices.

A key component of the National Strategy on Biodegradable Waste was the promotion of separate collection for biowaste, such as food and garden waste. This policy was reinforced by regulations like the Food Waste Regulations and the rollout of brown bins to households and businesses, facilitating the segregation and recycling of organic waste. These efforts were complemented by a commitment to significantly expand household composting initiatives and industrial-scale anaerobic digestion facilities, thereby enhancing recycling rates and reducing reliance on landfills.

This strategy was followed in 2009 by Ireland’s introduction of the Household Food Waste Regulations, formally known as The Waste Management (Food Waste) Regulations 2009. These regulations were significant as they introduced legal requirements for all commercial premises (e.g., restaurants and food businesses) to segregate food waste and ensure it was recycled rather than disposed of in landfills.

However, the regulations were not universally welcomed. Critics argued that the introduction of additional compliance burdens disproportionately impacted small businesses, such as cafes and takeaways, which often lacked the space, staff, or financial resources to manage additional bins and collections. The regulations also led to increased operational costs, making it more challenging for small businesses to comply.

Moreover, there were concerns regarding inconsistent enforcement across different Irish local authorities, which were responsible for inspections and oversight. This lack of uniformity led to criticism that some businesses faced stricter penalties while others operated with little regulatory scrutiny, undermining the effectiveness and fairness of the regulations.

These criticisms deepened following the introduction at the EU level of Regulation 38 of the European Communities (Waste Directive) Regulations 2011, which reinforced the obligations on businesses to comply with complex environmental plans despite a widespread lack of professional knowledge in waste management planning.

By 2014, Ireland’s EPA refined its approach with the launch of the first Stop Food Waste Campaign, which aimed to change consumer behaviors while also providing practical tools such as educational programs and composting guidance. This marked a shift towards a more engagement-focused strategy that sought to empower individuals to take proactive steps in reducing food waste.

In 2017, the introduction of the Food Waste Charter at the Forum on Food Waste further expanded these efforts. In contrast to strictly mandated regulations, the Charter allowed organisations to voluntarily commit to measuring, reporting, and reducing food waste across Ireland’s supply chain.

By 2020, Ireland had introduced a Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, outlining a comprehensive national food waste prevention roadmap. This Plan emphasized that food waste prevention was a key pillar aligning with EU and UN sustainability targets. It articulated several reasons why food waste was a global concern, including:

• The high level of embedded resources such as land, water, fertilizers, fuels used in growing, harvesting, processing, packaging, transporting, and storing food are wasted.
• There is an ethical dilemma when food waste coexists with food poverty.
• Wasted food and its packaging require appropriate segregation, collection, and processing, consuming additional resources.
• Disposal of food waste in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide.
• Regulatory oversight of food production and food waste disposal imposes costs on the public purse.

By 2021, food waste prevention was formally embedded in Ireland’s Climate Action Plan. This reinforced the link between food waste reduction and greenhouse gas emission targets, further integrating environmental and economic considerations into national policy.

However, the Climate Action Plan’s targets reignited concerns over regulatory burdens on businesses. Many in the food supply chain felt they were being confronted with heightened obligations to segregate, measure, and report food waste without adequate infrastructural support. This was particularly problematic in rural areas, where waste management facilities and transport logistics were less developed, making compliance more costly and complex.

In response, Ireland’s EPA highlighted that the hospitality sector accounted for 23% of the country’s 770,000 tonnes of annual food waste. This justification was used to defend punitive measures against businesses failing to comply with waste reduction efforts, arguing that immediate action was necessary to curb the high levels of food waste generated by the sector.

Concerns also emerged regarding transport costs, with businesses pointing out that the price of transporting food waste to recycling or treatment facilities becomes costlier as fuel prices rise. This issue disproportionately affects rural businesses, which rely on long-distance waste collection services, thereby making compliance even more challenging.

On November 30, 2022, Ireland launched the National Food Waste Prevention Roadmap 2023-2025. The Roadmap outlined several key objectives, including:

• Establishing a national baseline for food waste reduction efforts.
• Setting interim milestones to achieve a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030.
• Ensuring robust national measurement and reporting systems for food waste.
• Enhancing food waste segregation, donation, and redistribution efforts.
• Promoting research, innovation, and green public procurement in food waste prevention.

It is expected that the next statutory iteration of the Roadmap will be introduced following the adoption of Ireland’s Circular Economy Strategy, further cementing the country’s commitment to long-term sustainability goals.

Recent comments from Ireland’s former Minister for the Environment have also emphasized the ongoing process at the EU level regarding proposed legally binding food waste reduction targets for Member States by 2030. The Irish parliament has been informed that the outcome of this process will play a significant role in shaping Ireland’s future food waste prevention strategies and regulatory frameworks.

As Ireland continues to refine its approach, the challenge remains in balancing effective policy enforcement with economic viability for businesses, ensuring that food waste reduction efforts do not disproportionately burden smaller enterprises while achieving meaningful environmental benefits.